Iran pledges to destroy Israel, US bases if attacked

RISING TENSIONS: Iran has threatened to destroy Israel and US military bases in the region if attacked. (Getty Images)

Iran would destroy Israel and 32 US military bases in the Middle East if the Islamic republic was attacked over its disputed nuclear programme, a senior Iranian official was quoted as saying on Saturday.

The Islamic republic and Israel have been embroiled in an escalating war of words in recent weeks, sparking speculation of military confrontation and helping to send oil prices to record highs on global markets.

"The US knows full well that with the smallest move against Iran, Israel and 32 US military bases in the region would not be out of the reach of our missiles and would be destroyed," the semi-official Fars News Agency quoted Mojtaba Zolnour as saying.

Zolnour, a cleric, is the deputy of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's representative in Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards.

"The capability of the Islamic Republic of Iran is to the extent that if the US fires a missile, Iran would be able to destroy Israel and US military bases in the region with its missiles before the dust from the US missile settles," he said.

The comments came days after Iranian missile tests, which included one missile Iran says could reach Israel and US bases in the region.

Israel staged an air force exercise last month that stoked speculation about a possible assault on Iranian nuclear sites.

Iran, the world's fourth-largest oil exporter, has vowed to strike back at the Jewish state, US interests and shipping in the region if it is attacked, threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz, conduit for about 40 percent of globally traded oil.

Iran says its nuclear projects are aimed only at generating electricity. Western nations and Israel fear the Islamic republic is seeking to build bombs.

Washington has said it wants diplomacy to end the row but has not ruled out military action should that fail.

Israel, long assumed to have its own atomic arsenal, has sworn to prevent Iran from emerging as a nuclear-armed power.

Analysts say any US or Israeli attack on Iran would be limited to air strikes, rather than a full-scale attack with US ground forces, which are tied down in Iraq and Afghanistan.

They say Iran could respond with unconventional tactics, such as deploying small craft to attack ships, or using allies in the area to strike at US or Israeli interests. (Reuters)

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READERS' COMMENTS

Local worries?
Posted by Bruno Veninga, Dubai, UAE on Sunday 13 July 2008 at 08:53 UAE time

Does anyone find it strange that the UAE, KSA, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Iraq, Lebanon, etc in the immediate vicinity of the Arabian/Persian Gulf (whichever your preference might be) have not even made the slightest peep about all this? Blocking the Straight of Hormuz would affect everyone's economic situation throughout the region, it would block most oil exports, except maybe those from Oman. Oman would be directly influenced as its Mussandam Peninsula is on the other side of the Straight. Everyone here has ties to the US, but the US also has strong ties to Israel. Is everyone here too afraid to tell Iran to back down with these stupidities and actually just let the UN investigators keep an eye on the nuclear progress they are making?

The world over has enough nuclear power to cause a nuclear holocaust... do we really want this to happen?

Iran just need to calm down. We all know it has plenty of power, will and perseverance. Unfortunately it's government doesn't seem to know that its people would be more interested in getting a slightly BETTER standard of life, than they would be in having nuclear weapons or more money going into yet another pointless war.

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